Detectives sometimes get so involved with murder cases that they lose perspective, said Johnson, who coordinated the 40-hour workshop.

``Fresh approaches can help,`` he said. ``We have seasoned detectives here who can suggest elements of a case that may not have been explored.``

The workshop also provides a mental release for detectives who have become obsessed with a case.

``Sometimes they get so emotionally involved with a case that they can`t break loose from it,`` Johnson said. It gets to the point where they`re losing sleep. They`re desperately looking for a pattern or something that will nail the guy who did it.``

It is not easy for detectives from different departments to discuss murder cases openly, Johnson said. Many are territorial about their cases and reluctant to share their investigations with others.

For that reason, the first three days of the workshop were geared toward honing investigative skills and getting acquainted, Johnson said.

``Communication between law enforcement agencies is notoriously poor,`` he said. ``But the workshop opens communications. We get away from nitpicking and jurisdictional jealousies, and break down some barriers as more trust develops.``

The workshop opened with a discussion on managing homicide investigations. Sheriff`s office Detective William Springer, the lead investigator in the Anita Spearman murder case, was the featured speaker.

Other speakers included FBI agent Tom Diskin, who spoke on psychological profiling, and representatives from the Medical Examiner`s Office.

There was even an appearance by defense attorney Barry Krischer, who told detectives how to improve their cases in court.

``We brought (Krischer) in to tell us what we`re doing wrong,`` Johnson said.

But the highlight of the workshop was when the detectives brought out the unsolved murder cases.

One such case is the murder of Rosemarie Donaghy, 26, a cocktail waitress from West Palm Beach, found stabbed to death last August near a dump on Lake Park Road. Nine months later, sheriff`s detectives have no suspects.

The trail is even colder in the case of Kizzy Brooms, a 5-year-old found bludgeoned to death in February 1985 near Riviera Beach.

Lake Worth Detective Sgt. Robert Walton is still looking for a suspect in the April 1985 murder of Mildred Matheny, 78. She was abducted and beaten while walking near her home. She died a few days after police found her unconscious in the woods west of Jupiter.

Johnson said the real exchange of ideas occurs not during the sessions, but before, after and in between.

``Much of the value comes from sharing ideas on breaks and after the lectures,`` he said. ``Information received over coffee is more important to solving crimes than the formal structure of going over tons of reports.``

Johnson said he hopes detectives walked away from the homicide workshop with a few fresh leads. But even if no unsolved murders are cleared, the workshop was a success, he said.

``It`s brought on a cooperative spirit we haven`t seen before in a county with 36 police agencies,`` he said. ``It helps us to realize we`re all in this together.``